Point Pinos Lighthouse, located In Pacific Grove, is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the west coast of the United States.  In 1855,  it was the second lighthouse built in California.  Alcatraz Island Lighthouse had been built 8 months previously, but in 1909 was replaced by the famous prison.   Point Pinos was built atop a quaint house enabling keepers to tend the light without fearing the elements.  Point Pinos Lighthouse uses a Fresnel lens manufactured in France in 1853.  The beacon is still used by the Coast Guard to aid navigation and the city of Pacific Grove maintains the property.   While it began as just a narrow light beam fueled by whale oil, in 1912 it used an “eclipse” that made the light blink on for 10 seconds and off for 20 seconds.  Today, the light is electronic and is on for three seconds and off for one, which helps mariners identify it.   Point Pinos stands 43 feet tall, approximately 90 feet above the ocean, and its lens can be seen 17 miles out to sea.

History

Point Pinos Lighthouse has had many keepers, but perhaps the most interesting was Emily Fish.  Emily Fish’s sister died in childbirth, and at age 17, Emily married her dead sister’s husband, Malancthon Fish,  and raised her sister’s baby daughter, Juliet.  Mr. Fish, a medical doctor, died when Emily was 50 years old.  Following his death, Emily applied for the position of lighthouse keeper at the Point Pinos Lighthouse in Pacific Grove, CA.  This was considered highly unusual, as most women only received their positions upon the death of their lighthouse keeper husbands.  Emily, however,  was an anomaly.  She bucked the norms and defied gender roles.  She would not be foiled in her efforts, proving that no matter how old you are and what society thinks, you should always follow your dreams and aspirations. 

She thrived in her position, and for over twenty years, lived and worked at the lighthouse with her menagerie of French poodles, Holstein cows, horses, and chickens.  She excelled at gardening and created an oasis of grass, hedges, and trees on the lighthouse grounds.  From her home in Oakland, she brought antique furniture, paintings, china, and silverware. Being a lighthouse keeper was no easy chore; rather, it was a difficult and demanding life.  Emily, however, excelled at her job, and soon became known as the “Socialite Keeper” because of her flair for style and fashion and her reputation for entertaining guests at the lighthouse.  During her keep, Point Pinos Lighthouse consistently received high marks for being well-kept. 

While Emily is the most memorable female lighthouse keeper at Point Pinos, she was not the first.  The light’s first keeper, Charles Layton, was serving on a posse in pursuit of an outlaw when he was fatally shot the first year he was appointed. His wife Charlotte, left alone with four children, replaced her husband as keeper until 1860 when she was remarried and her new husband took over the position.

If you are planning on visiting the area and would like to tour the lighthouse, please see pointpinoslighthouse for information including directions, hours, and parking. *Photo courtesy of Jay Slupesky, follow him on Instagram @jayslu